Post by Lucia Orlando (right), a close friend of the Houghton family, shown with DeDe Houghton (left) at Sutter Hospital.
I met Dave and DeDe in 1991 when I started dating my husband Darryl Quan. Darryl’s known Dave since they were student firefighters at UCSC. Continue reading
Left - David’s first boat, 1977 in Italy, at Lake Trasimeno, near Perugia, Italy.
David loved boats and when we lived in Italy, we would see the boats on sale at the local department store. Continue reading
All are welcome! Saturday Sept. 10th. Join us in sharing memories and favorite stories. We may have a paddleout depending on ocean conditions. Continue reading
Above – Picture of Ryan (left) and Zack at Great America on Zack’s last birthday. Ryan died in a plane crash with his family, David, DeDe and Luke, on July 7, 2011.
This post was written by Keith and Zack Bigelow. Zack is Ryan’s age and one of Ryan’s closest friends. Keith is Zack’s dad.
Generally, sleepovers would happen on Fridays, after school. Gaby would pick up Zack and Ryan from the front of the school, where they would already be deeply ensconced in some role playing game. Ryan’s sleepover kit was a toothbrush, which Dede always seemed to keep handy.
Note: New articles posted daily below this one. For easier navigation, we have also added categories to the right (based on subject).
First of all, we are overcome with grief and this has been a very hard time for the family. Continue reading
Video of the July 16, 2011 Houghton family memorial service is now available by clicking on the image to the left (or here) which will take you to Vimeo, where it is hosted. Special thanks to Ron Goodman who recorded, edited and distributed this video.
It is still hard to conceive that they are gone. It’s like they’re on one of their long trips and will be back next week. When I woke up, it seemed like everything was fine, then I had to remind myself of what happened.
Ryan loved babies. He loved them so much that he when he was 2 or 3 years old, he always carried a baby doll with him everywhere he went. He called it baby. Left, Ryan in December of 2003 (at 2 1/2 years old) with his baby doll.
Post by Chris Upham, a good friend of David’s. Above – David in Mexico.
I have written these remarks as I am unable to restrain my emotions. I cannot begin to tell you how diminished I feel. I met Dave when I accepted an invitation by Robert Widmann to assist in the training of SCUBA diver candidates in the UCSC certification program. Continue reading
Above – The Chardonnay II off of Light House Point in Santa Cruz as we prepare to spread the ashes of David, DeDe, Luke and Ryan Houghton who died in a plane crash on July 7, 2011. Photo by Sky Merritt.
Comment submitted by Derek regarding scattering of the ashes and I decided to include it as a blog post.
It was a foggy morning the sea was calm the water had a beautiful unusual emerald color, as we watched the Chardonnay II sail out of the harbor and toward us as we stood up on West Cliff by a dive flag with wonderful pictures of the Houghton family along the railing in front of us. Continue reading
I need to join my family, but wanted to write a quick post to thank everybody who came out to remember the Hougthon family today. I’ll write more later. We told stories for bit as we sat in the calm waters. Maybe somebody has a better shot they can send me, but above, you can see the flowers and the ashes. To the upper left you can see a few who paddled out to join us. Continue reading
Left – Picture of Luke in Bonaire from last month’s dive trip. Below – Article from Luke’s grandmother, Linda Anderson.
Luke David Houghton was born on July 26, 1998, from the moment I saw him I knew he was special. He was the first born son to David and DeDe and I still remember that day and the three of them together. David was delivering almost as much as DeDe, she would say “not the pain!” He was welcomed by many family and friends and was surrounded his life with them.
He did a lot in his short life, he would have turned into a teenager of 13 just missed it by 19 days. Continue reading
The grief is hitting me. I couldn’t sleep until 3am this morning. All I could think about was the family. I was thinking about Luke and Ryan and how they were when I last saw them. I dreamed about them. My brother was standing with them in the doorway of our bedroom. Then I have to remind myself I’ll never see them again. It just seems so wrong. I couldn’t get out of bed and slept until noon. I hope that I can shake this, I have a business to run.
The last conversation I had with Luke was on Father’s Day, June 19, 2011 – we all went over to David’s for brunch with my parents. Luke was a science nerd, which I love. He was getting ready to go to space camp in Huntsville Alabama and was excited about it. Continue reading
This post was updated Wed, 7/27 at 8:43am. The Sentinel incorrectly printed that the date is tomorrow. It’s today. Viewing location is West Cliff Lighthouse Point (Surfing Museum/Steamers Lane). Also, today is Luke’s birthday, please see posts below. It is with a heavy heart that I inform you we will be scattering ashes for David, DeDe, Luke and Ryan Houghton this Wednesday, July 27 at around 10:45-11:15am. Continue reading
Above – The David Houghton Family in Bali, 2009. Post by Linda Anderson, DeDe Houghton’s Mom.
Last night as I lay sleeping in my own bed, the first time in many nights since the accident, something happened…was it real or only in my mind, I will never know for sure but only what I believe. Some of you may think I’ve gone over the edge, but no matter what you’re thinking I’m hoping you too will be comforted by my sharing. Continue reading
The article below was submitted by Nico Schneiter, one of Luke’s closest friends.
Ever since I heard that Luke died I have been thinking that I will wake up one day and Luke will be here with us. Luke and his family are still with us in spirit. I had a very odd experience at the boardwalk. Luke always told me that the claw games at the boardwalk were not rigged like everyone said. He told me that one day he would get the stuffed animal that was in it or what ever was in it. Continue reading
Article from Linda Anderson, mother of DeDe Houghton, who died in a plane crash with her family on July 7, 2011.
Above – Linda Anderson and her daughter DeDe in 2006.
When you have a daughter who lights up your world from the day she is born, Love is Easy!
My DeDe was such a joy to me from the start, she was a little Miss Priss and did not like to get dirty… I remember her 1st Birthday cake, she would touch ever so easy so as not to get sticky. Continue reading
Laura Perron and scuba friends were wonderful and made red wrist bands for us to wear to remember the David Houghton Family. The band says “Forever Remember David – DeDe – Luke – Ryan.” These were handed out at the funeral service. If you want one, check back here and I’ll post as soon as I figure out a way you can get one.
David was a good boy and was very sweet. He probably got the itch to travel because my mom likes to travel and we toured Europe as youngsters while touring fine art museums (my mom was an artist). We’ve seen more fine art than you can shake a stick at! Anyway, here’s David, in 1976 (10 years old) getting onto a camel while we were touring Morocco. It was quite an adventure. We were driving along and saw these two Moroccans with Camels (something we hadn’t seen before). They waved us down and motioned we could ride them so we stopped. We couldn’t communicate but they threw my brother onto the back of the camel. Continue reading
Above – View from my parent’s house looking over Santa Cruz into Monterey Bay. You can see the ocean, then above the narrow strip of fog and low clouds, the mountains rise behind Carmel. Continue reading
Above – A card placed above DeDe’s kitchen window tells of the love they shared.
David and DeDe loved each other very much. She believed in him and he loved her dearly. The picture above shows a card from last year’s anniversary on 8/17 which she kept in a place where she could always see it. It’s slightly faded – especially the “H.” I became very sad when I saw this because it made me remember how happy and devoted they were to each other and that they’re no longer here. Continue reading
Above – Site where the Houghton family plane impacted on July 7. New paint helps the cosmetics, but doesn’t heal our broken hearts.
Warning: Nothing gruesome below but if you don’t like specifics, you might skip. The specifics aren’t bad at all, but it might be harder if you know them. The facts show that they didn’t suffer.
As part of my healing, tonight I visited the crash site in Watsonville. It’s not the first time. Continue reading
Every year in Santa Cruz, my bother and DeDe celebrated Day At The Beach, where the handicapped can experience water sports. Normally, my brother and his wife DeDe do the scuba portion, but in their memory, the group placed a wreath. It happened last Saturday after the funeral, and in the words of David and DeDe’s friend, Ron Goodman:
“There were no words. At about 3:15PM, an outrigger canoe was prepared for launch. A wreath was placed on a woman’s lap in the boat, and a procession, led by Foster, came down to the boat carrying flowers. Kids, participants, and volunteers placed flowers on the wreath. Then, the canoe was pushed through the waves. When they had gone out about ¾ mile, the boat stopped. Continue reading
Above – David Elias remembers the Houghton family who died in a plan crash on July 7.
It was comforting to have everybody gather to remember my brother and his family. The pain is deep and it will take a while for all of us, but getting together like this is an important step in the healing process. For those that were close, we need to do more of this. I want to experience them, hear their stories, and see their pictures. Continue reading
Above – Ribbons filled out by students as a tribute to Luke and Ryan who perished in a plane crash on July 7.
Students assembled tonight to remember Luke and Ryan by creating ribbons and tying them to the fence in front of the school. I talked to many of their teachers and fellow students. They all had something special to say. Continue reading
Above – Luke and Ryan Houghton who perished with their parents in a plane crash last week.
From 6 – 7 p.m., there will be a gathering at DeLaveaga in the amphitheater, that will include some families from Branciforte Middle School who would like to honor Luke, as well as DeLaveaga staff. Continue reading
Above – Paddle out earlier today as Capitola Jr. Life Guards pay tribute to Luke and Ryan.
Here in this coastal town, when someone is lost, we have what is called a paddle out. Everybody grabs their surf boards and paddles out for a gathering a few hundred yards out. Luke and Ryan were involved in Jr. Life Guards. Continue reading
I was going through photos for the funeral tonight and I came across the photo above. Here we are, camping more than 20 years ago (I’m on the left) when we decided to make soap mohawks. I’m going through thousands of photos but for some reason, even though I thought I put it away, this photo stayed in front of me as I sifted through many stacks of other photos. It was almost like it was trying to remind me of something that I needed to remember about my brother. Continue reading
Words cannot express the profound sense of loss among parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, close associates, and dear friends of David and DeDe Houghton and their sons, Luke and Ryan. All lost their lives suddenly and unexpectedly in a single engine plane crash in Watsonville, Calif., on July 7, 2011. Continue reading
Below is a touching note from Scott Belknap, a close friend of David’s, and how they provided relief after Hurricane Jimena devastated the town of Mulege (Baja, Mexic0).
September 2nd, 2009 the hurricane developed on the west coast of Baja and by the 4th had devastated the town of Mulege. Continue reading
